E-PRTR data quality control and reporting for the UK

Case study - E-PRTR data quality control and reporting for the UK

Ricardo conducts technical review and quality control checks for UK industrial pollutants reporting under the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR).

Challenge

Under the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR), the UK Government is required to compile and report annual pollutant release data to air, land and water from industrial operators for submission to the EU under the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR).

Ricardo, under contract to the UK Department of the Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra), was tasked with collating the UK dataset in collaboration with the Environment Agency, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, as well as working with Local Authorities to collect data on smaller-scale industrial sites in England and Wales.

Approach

Ricardo conducted a technical review and range of quality checks to verify the reported data from regulators, identifying any outliers and using other inventory datasets to ensure consistency and accuracy over the time-series that E-PRTR data is reported for the UK. We developed data processing and reporting templates to enable rapid quality checking and reporting to the EU, and implemented a process of continuous improvement through consultation with regulators and other stakeholders.

Results

The report prepared for Defra by Ricardo, provides a comprehensive overview of the pollutants released by the UK’s industrial operators, ensuring compliance with the E-PRTR. Ricardo continues to manage the UK’s E-PRTR reporting and provides similar data submissions to the EU on an annual basis. The ongoing reporting provides reliable data to support policy-making aimed at improving air quality.